Literary Scholar, Academic Excellence to be Featured at Daemen Festival

Celebrated Irish singer to Give Lecture

March 19, 2014

Media Contact

AMHERST, N.Y. -- Literary and legal scholar Stanley Fish will be the keynote speaker for the 2014 Daemen College Academic Festival, an annual celebration of academic excellence showcased through student and faculty presentations, poster sessions, panel discussions, performances and other activities.

Considered one of the century’s most original and influential literary theorists and public intellectuals, Fish will give his address, “What Are Academics Free to Do?,” at 7 p.m. April 15 in the Wick Campus Center Social Room.

Due to limited seating, reservations for the keynote address are requested by April 1 to speaker@daemen.edu.

Fish, a regular columnist for the New York Times, has riled audiences with his divisive perspectives on culture, language and the law. He is a prolific author whose works include more than 200 scholarly publications and books.

A provocative speaker and intellectual, Fish is currently the Floerscheimer Distinguished Professor of Law at Cardozo Law School. He has taught at some of the most prestigious universities in the United States, including Berkeley, Columbia, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Florida International.

Activities and sessions for the 14th annual Daemen Academic Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 16.

Bringing together students, scholars, artists and community members, this year’s festival will feature a record number of proposals across all academic disciplines and topics, including international service learning, nursing, psychology, and history and government. Among the critical analysis presentations will be a focus on musician Bruce Springsteen and Harry Potter of the internationally popular literary series.

Also, college-specific projects will be presented on the Daemen Physical Therapy Wound Care Clinic, the International Center for Excellence in Animation, and “green” buildings on campus.

Mary McPartlan

As part of the festival, celebrated traditional Irish singer Mary McPartlan will give a lecture, “Irish Traditional Music, Song and Dance From the 1900s to the Dawn of Riverdance,” at 7 p.m. in Rosary Hall.

McPartlan, who has toured extensively in Ireland and abroad, assisted in the development of the country’s TG4 National Traditional Music Awards, and co-produced an award-winning 12-part music series.

A teacher and creative director at NUI Galway, McPartlan most recently worked with jazz pianist Bertha Hope in New York and is currently working on a CD in tribute to the legendary folk singer Jean Ritchie.

Theater performances at the festival will include the ever-popular Festival Musicale at 2 p.m. and Musical Jam at 4 p.m. in the Wick Center Alumni Lounge, and a performance of “Paper Slippers,” an original play that focuses on four teens facing addiction, scheduled for7:30 p.m. also in the alumni lounge.

All events are free and open to the public. Additional information is available by calling 839-8253.

World of Opportunity Wizard

Wow! Did you know Daemen’s faculty members are active in their own education?

Natural Sciences Professor Brenda Young will be attending the Fulbright Academy of Science and Technology in Panama and presenting a paper on our sustainability efforts.